Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-12-17
CHAPTER XIX.
COURT MARTIAL,

Why twelve only of our number were
carried to Knoxville. where a Confederate
court martial had convened, l have never
learned. 1t may have been thought that
this number was large enough for ven
geance, or more probably it was intended
when they were disposed of to bring the
others also. Gen. f. Kirby Smith COM
manded the department, and all the pro-
ceedings were under his authority. What
seemed to us very remarkable was that a
single one of number at a time was
brought before the court. and all the pro-
ceedings In his case were gone through
with before another was brought out.
Thus each trial was just the copy Of the
one that went before, and, short as they
were, must soon have become very mo-
notonous to the members Of the court.
We employed WI eminent Union men of
Knoxville us counse!-Judge O. P. Tenn
pie and Judge BaXter-but they were not
allowed to hear the plea Of the judge adj
vocate, the prosecutor against us. Neither
had we that privilege, and ann there
fore give the points that were most relied
on for our conviction. In fact, members
Of the court visited us and said that We
would be acquitted of the charge against
us, which was that Of lurking about Con-
federatc camps at Chattanooga, Dalton and
Marietta as spies, and only held as prison.
crs OF war. This inspired in us u strange
and, as the issue proved, m unwarrantcd
degree of h%opefulncss. Our w acknowl-
cdgment of what we did, which We linked
with the statement that we had been de-
tailed from Il commands without our
consent and with no knowledge Of the
nature of the expedition on which we were
| cant nvs0 ttn nStlnnn> 80 . &l-,,
who had seen us on the train or aided In
the case. But we have reason to think
! the whole result was predetermined,
although our attorneys were confident
that we could not be convicted Of being
spies. The fact that we were not placed
in irons here for tho first time during tho
nearly two months Of our Imprisonment,
tended to increase our hope.
But another element Of far greater i'm.
portance than the mere machinery Of the
trial entered nov into the determination
of our destiny. The trial Of one of oul
meu-therc was no apparent order in the
~selcction-was finished each day. The
next day another was taken. I have
never doubted That the eEemy's intention
was to go through the whole list in the
same way, and We were not at all solici.
tous as to who should como first or last.
But that did prove to be- Of tremendous
Importance; for II vigorous advance
Of tho Federal armies upon both
Knoxville and Chattanooga caused
Gen. Smith to give up East Tennessee for
lost, and to dissolve the court and send us
all i'll hot haste to Atlanta, Ga. Seven
had then been tried. a delay of five days
in this advance would have finished the
whole twelvc-including tho writer-at
the rate they were proceeding. But the
whole twelve were sent away together,
having seen or heard nothing to show 1,
difference in the position Of tho five and
the seven, and arriving in Atlanta Just a
week after tho execution of Andrews. We
had heard Of that terrible event In Knox
vile; but, while our sorrow was deep and
poignant, our hopefulness either for the
seven who had been tried or tho five
whose trial had been interrupted wa not
diminished, for Confcderatcs had always
been saying to us that his case was much
more aggravated than ours.
In Atlanta VIC We're placed In tho upper
room of q large brick building, surround
ed by guards. The remainder Of the
party who were with Andrews were
plnccd in another room Of the same build
ing, which was the city Jail. Two great
events of the most opposite character,
upon which turned the fate of our band,
are associated closely with this Jail. They
will now be narrated.